Upper School Director Blog – End of 1st Term

Greetings from the Middle and Upper School!

They say, “Time flies when you’re having fun!” It is quite hard to believe that the first term is already behind us. In its wake I wanted to take an opportunity to reflect and share with you many of the bright moments that we have experienced in the middle and upper school thus far. We–parents, students, faculty–WE are our best public relations officers, so as people ask you about Donoho, feel free to share some (or all) of these bright spots from our first term!

  • Our tutoring partnership with Golden Springs Elementary has been a HUGE success! Nineteen juniors and seniors volunteer an hour of their week to mentor and tutor their fourth and fifth grade friends at Golden Springs Elementary. If you know Betty Deason, our liaison at GSE, ask her about this wonderful partnership. It is changing lives, our students’ as much as those at GSE.

  • Talk about a cool way of integrating technology with instruction…Mrs. Anna Taylor arranged a FaceTime conversation with Dr. Robert Marion, who wrote Genetic Rounds, a book her physiology students read for summer reading. His book is designed as a series of case studies based on actual patients he has treated. During the FaceTime conversation, he talked about the field of genetics and answered student questions about ethical dilemmas and stories from the book. He gave the students first-hand information about some very famous cases, one of which involved conjoined twins. Dr. Marion was a part of the team that separated the twins.

  • The Marksmanship Club is thriving in its first year at Donoho! In the very first monthly prone match, we had seven shooters, three of which medaled! Hamilton Gaines took gold, Tucker Sedmak took silver, and Cindy Zhou took bronze! In the last monthly match for the three-position competition (sixty shots total–prone, kneeling and standing), Savannah Frickey, Tucker Sedmak, and Daisy Tang placed in top 30! Practice is each Tuesday and Thursday at the Civilian Marksmanship Program when the facility is open to the public. Students work at own pace to complete benchmarks to earn badges and learn new strategies to help improve their aim. They are coached by CMP employees, some of which had marksmanship scholarships for college and continue to compete across the United States. Mrs. Gaines, as sponsor, encourages all middle and upper students to come give it a try! All of the equipment is provided by the CMP, and our school has its own sign in table and notebook to keep track of skills learned and progress of each shooter. The only cost associated is that of the pellets, which are eight dollars and should last three months. This is a unique opportunity for our students, and I am proud of Mrs. Gaines for leading this group!

  • You have no doubt noticed a change in grade reporting this year. For the first time, ALL GRADES have been shared with parents and students in the weekly progress reports via Edline. This act of academic transparency has been well received. Moreover, it has eliminated the need of comments on report cards as it has opened the door for more ongoing communications among faculty and parents.

  • In student-life news, Donoho Joe continues to be enjoyed by our middle and upper schoolers. Hot chocolate (with whipped cream!) and hot apple cider have been added to the menu since October, and with the chill in the air, this has been much appreciated! Ms. Landrum has used the space to showcase her students’ second art installment, which is lovely. Please come visit us in the morning to get a cup of Joe and appreciate the gallery of art that her students have created. Personally, it warms my heart each morning to see our students gathering, socializing, studying, and utilizing this space exactly as it is intended to be used!

  • Athletically, we are riding a big wave! Girls Varsity Volleyball has had a wonderful season in qualifying for the Super Regional Tournament in Huntsville. They placed 2nd in the Area Tournament and are looking forward to making it to the Elite Eight tournament.

  • The Varsity Football team is the Region Champion and has qualified for the State Playoffs. The boys are having one of the best seasons since Coach Felder’s stellar 2006 season, and we are excited about watching them go deep into the playoffs.

  • Clearly, our varsity teams are excelling in competition, but what I am most proud to report is the average GPA of our athletes for last term. The average GPA for a varsity football player is 3.5, and the average GPA for a varsity volleyball player is 4.0! Most impressive! Great job, coaches and teachers for all that you are doing to get the best from our student athletes!

  • The band and choir performed at this year’s LobsterFest event at Grace Episcopal. They had a great time performing for over an hour to those in attendance and received many compliments while demonstrating the diversity of our fine arts department!

  • In Physical Science 8, Mr. Lee’s class built catapults and demonstrated their functions on the football field. They even had a little team spirit last Friday, as Mr. Lee built a cardboard castle and labeled it Ragland. The students launched tennis balls at it using their catapults!

  • In French class Dr. Strong has been trying Genius Hour (http://www.geniushour.com/what-is-genius-hour/) every Thursday this year, and her students have just finished their second round of presentations. So far, among other things, there has been several singers, two classroom visits by dogs, a lesson on how to sew a Pokemon stuffed animal, a tour of the buildings in a Minecraft world, a lesson on the education system in China, a description of mountain biking, and several delicious recipes…all shared in French! Bravo!

  • Each year The Anniston Star sponsors its “Ghostwriters Competition.” This year no other school had more participants than The Donoho School, but the BIG NEWS is how well represented Donoho is through the winning efforts of our students! In the upper division Maryam Salame (‘18) won first place with her spooky story, and Pearl Simmons (‘18) won third! Furthermore, Chandler Collins (‘16) received Honorable Mention with his unique and eerie tale! In the middle division Mya Keel (‘20) won second, and John Robert Cater (‘20) received an Honorable Mention! As an English teacher, I am so proud of these students and all who took the time to submit stories for this contest. Be sure to pick up a paper on Halloween and read these creative works.

  • Our enrichment program was a success last term with courses like Yoga, Creative Writing, Jazz Band, and Drama helping students to find their “why.” This term I am proud of the partnership we have made with Ann Angell and the YMCA as “YMCA Fitness” is among the twelve enrichment offerings!

  • In other enriching news, the Science Club hosted Crescenda Williams from UAB’s Department of Genetic Counseling last term. She is a second-year Master’s student who is studying to become a pediatric genetic counselor. She talked with the students about genetics and the role a genetic counselor plays in a clinical setting. She gave two clinical examples. One was about a family whose child was diagnosed with Down Syndrome and the different types of Down Syndrome. Then, she shared about the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which play a role in breast and ovarian cancers. Congratulations to Mrs. Taylor for arranging such meaningful and interesting club meetings.

  • 100% of the senior class, the faculty, and the Board have already contributed to the Annual Fund! This level of financial commitment is encouraging and appreciated.

  • Finally, although this isn’t specific to first term, be sure to tune in to TV 24 tonight as the Donoho Band has been invited to open up for TV 24’s “Pigskin Roundup” show at 10:30 p.m. This is the first time the producers have hosted a band in studio, which is very exciting! Great job, Mr. Swinney!

So, as you can see, it has been quite a busy quarter in the middle and upper school! Recently, Mrs. Jaudon and I attended the SAIS (Southern Association of Independent Schools) annual conference, and I can tell you that our school is well known and well respected among independent, college-prep schools. From our wonderfully-talented faculty, to the support of the parents, to the mission-appropriate initiatives that are being implemented, we are in a good place and are moving to an even better position among the elite schools in the south.

In a few weeks, the Donoho mathematics department will have the unique opportunity to travel to Richmond, Virginia, for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics regional conference. Running from November 12-14, the NCTM Conference is three days of presentations, workshops, activity seminars, and exhibits designed to enhance the instruction of math, and our teachers should return with a wealth of knowledge to share with our students in the classroom. Attendees from Donoho will include Anna Taylor, Jennifer Senter, Megan Williams, Kendall Howell, and Carol Howell. If you see them, wish them good luck!

If you are on Twitter, please follow me @russconnell where I post many pictures and updates of the wonderful things happening on Donoho’s campus. Whether it is helping students to find their “why” through programs ranging from mentoring to marksmanship or helping them gain academic proficiency and confidence through enrichments like ACT or math prep or striving for excellence in the classroom AND in athletics, the “Donoho Difference” is alive and thriving! So, help me spread the good word!

I look forward to sharing more good news soon, and I hope to see you all tonight at Lentz Field as we cheer on the undefeated Falcons against Appalachian on Senior Night!

Until then, Go Falcons!

–Russ